If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you are a time traveller. Yes, that’s correct. Because, as I write this the only person who knows about the blog is me and … well, me. So hello to the future! I hope the radiation isn’t too bad today.
In the next couple weeks, I will likely be posting stories of the events of the last year, since I decided to start this blog nearly a year ago. A year goes by before this post appears! Good lord. I never used to understand why writers took so long to get anything done but now, I get it. I get it. Anyway, that’s for some other time.
Today I submitted my first novel to a publisher for the first time. It’s thrilling to be able to write those words. Huh. Look at them there. Perhaps I shouldn’t say too much about it, but I will say that the book is a work set in a universe that is an owned property. That is, if this publisher decides they don’t like it, well, I guess I can post it on fan fiction sites or something, but I can’t shop it anywhere else.
But that’s okay. I wrote a book! That’s something I couldn’t say with any honesty last year. I learned quite a bit from the process, which will likely spawn more blog posts, but for right now, let’s leave it at that.
What I’m dealing with now is some kind of strange postpartum pessimism. I’m thinking about the novel and how I could make it better. How I should probably change it, narrative threads to add, that sort of thing. I’m proud of my work, though – I think it’s pretty good. It’s just that I could make it better.
One of Heinlein’s rules is Thou Shalt Not Revise Except To Editorial Order*. Dear Robert, I wish I had your conviction. I understand what you mean (I think), but I don’t know how you do it, if you ever did, in fact. The story is sitting there in my head scrabbling about trying to get better. How can I deny it?
I do wish I had more time to edit, but said publisher’s submission window is closing fast, and there’s simply no time for major rewrites. I suppose I should have submitted next year, but the guidelines say that they’ll work with you on your story, if they think you have the chops. I do think I have the chops, if you pardon the arrogance, so I hope they at least contact me and give me the chance.
Also, I don’t want to put six more months of work into something if it will never see publication. Perhaps that’s a bad attitude, but the year has gone by and this is only the first blog post, remember? I have more to write!
Anyway, dear time traveller, perhaps you’ll be reading this from the future where the novel is published. If so … can you tell me how it turned out?
*or something like that.